


Seasons of Warfare: Winter Edition

by beau (beaubear), beaubear



Series: seasons of warfare [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe-Wolves, Angst, Animal Death, Animal Violence, Betrayal, Black Eagles show up in Chapter 5 (some of them at least), Blood and Gore, Buckle the fuck up, Cyril and Claude are brothers in this fic, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationships, F/F, F/M, Fake Character Death, Feral Dimitri will show up later, Fluff, Forbidden Love, Golden Deer will show up in Chapter 6, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, I know nothing about wolf biology so don’t yell at me, I might change the title later because ngl it kinda sucks to me lmao, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Love Confessions, M/M, Multi, Murder, Mutual Pining, Past Child Abuse, Prophecy, Prophetic Dreams, Prophetic Visions, Protective Siblings, Rivalry, Romance, Sibling Bonding, Some magic, Spirits, War, everyone is gay or bi, fe3h but with gay/bi wolves, fire emblem three houses but everyone is a wolf and it’s like warrior cats, ghost wolves, kind of slow burn, no beta we die like Glenn, rarepairs, this is based of warrior cats but with wolves, this is gonna be a long one folks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:00:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26204593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beaubear/pseuds/beau, https://archiveofourown.org/users/beaubear/pseuds/beaubear
Summary: Byleth is navy blue wolf who is built for the wilderness and for survival. He’s always been a loner along with his sister Seraph. Most other wolves join packs, but not them.For a while, Byleth thought it could stay like that forever. Not anymore though, not when food was getting scarce, and not when Byleth realizes there is a traitor in their midst. Now, Byleth has no choice but to join a pack, in order to keep himself and his sister safe.The real question is: Why does he keep having odd dreams?Previous name was: seasons of warfare: sinister shadows
Relationships: Caspar von Bergliez/Original Male Character(s)/Ashe Duran, Claude von Riegan/Original Female Character(s), Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth, Linhardt von Hevring/Ignatz Victor, Marianne von Edmund/Hapi, Might add more ships later - Relationship, Yuris Leclair | Yuri Leclerc/Original Male Character(s)
Series: seasons of warfare [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1903027
Comments: 11
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> okay so-
> 
> I came up with this idea while I was retreading the warrior cats series and watching rant videos about it so I decided to make a series about fe3h mixed with warrior cats but they are also wolves instead of cats. This ain’t going to be exactly like the warrior cats books btw, I’m gonna do some tweaks and make it different. 
> 
> God, I’m so nervous but also really excited about this. I’ve never written a multi chapter fic before, but imma try!
> 
> So, here ya go! Enjoy!

The moon shined brightly, stark against the night sky. Byleth stalked the undergrowth, his blue tail whishing as he slowly walked along. His stoic eyes scanned the unfamiliar area. He was unused to walking around here, as he preferred to stay near him and his sisters territory in the forest. But, as winter was drawing near, food was beginning to become scarce, and so he had to travel farther. His stomach growled, and his eyes furrowed with annoyance. Gods, he was hungry.

As soon as the navy wolf thought that, he saw a sudden flash of brown. He recognized the scent of the creature immediately. A hare. Byleth licked his lips with anticipation. Finally, he thought. He crept forward slowly, crouching down, the belly of his fur barely brushing the grass. The hare was minding its own business, nibbling on some grass to calm its own appetite. It was completely unaware that he was there. Byleth waited one more moment to make sure the rabbit hadn’t spotted him, before kicking up his hind legs and pouncing on the tiny creature. 

The hare let out a tiny sound of terror as it realized what was happening, but it was already too late. Byleth pinned it underneath his much larger and stronger body, biting into the hare’s neck, and listening as he heard the hare's cries slowly die out, and it went limp. Byleth tasted the metallic blood and felt satisfaction. Finally, after hours of prowling the cold forest, he finally had a meal to bring back to his sister. As much as he wanted to get something for himself, Seraph needed it more than him. 

Byleth picked up his kill, mouth watering as he got another whiff of the now-dead prey. He shook his head. No. This is for Seraph, not me. 

With slight disappointment, he padded back home, all four of his legs aching from hours of walking and his body exhausted.

He also felt worried. It had taken him hours to find even one piece of prey for his sister. What would happen in a couple of weeks, when the snow started to come and it got even colder? He felt apprehension fill his stomach, making his hunger even worse. 

Byleth missed his father, Jeralt, very dearly. He was the one who took care of Byleth and his sister and taught them how to survive in the wilderness. He always knew what to do, especially during the winter. He had died last year, due to old age, leaving Byleth and Seraph on their lonesome, and leaving Byleth to fend for both of them, due to Seraph still being too young to hunt on her own.

No. Now is not the time to think about this. He’s gone now, and I need to get over it. Byleth thought to himself, furrowing his brows. We will make it, without our father’s help.

With determination filling his mind, and the fear and apprehension starting to dwindle, he continued walking back home, failing to notice or scent several pairs of eyes from the bushes on his back as he departed.  
____________________________________________________________________________

“That harebrained moron was just hunting on Blue Lions territory! Our territory!” Felix hissed, his tail lashing with agitation. “Why the hell didn’t we attack him!?” He was flexing his claws and baring his teeth, showing his anger at what he had just seen.

Ingrid flicked her ears at Felix, a gesture to get him to shut up, while also showing she agreed with him. “I have to agree with him Dimitri, which doesn’t happen often. If the Black Eagles find out that we let a stranger roam our territory freely and then leave it freely without a fight, they think that we are weak or that we are pushovers. Also, winter is nearing! We can’t afford to even allow one piece of prey to leave our grasp, not while we have so many mouths to feed.”

“I’m well aware you two, but will losing one piece of prey cause that much harm? He was only fending for himself. We would have done the same. He may have been on our territory, but we can let it slide by this time. Besides that, he was a very good hunter. The way a stalked that hare was very skilled. It must’ve taken him years to hone that.” Dimitri murmured to himself, lost in his own world. Who was that mystery wolf? Dimitri has never seen him before around this area. Perhaps he just migrated here?

Sylvain, a dark red wolf with honey-colored eyes, simply rolled his eyes with a hint of amusement. “Let it go guys. He’s too entranced by that wolf to even respond. And besides, we won’t have to worry about the Black Chickens -or whatever their names are-since they’re probably too caught up trying to feed themselves since winter is coming.” He laid down rather casually, rolling on his back to gaze up at the moon, all the while stretching his back and front legs. “And besides, shouldn’t we go back to camp so we can give the prey we found to everyone else?” Sylvain pointed his paw in the direction of the small pile of prey they had caught earlier a bit farther away from them. “We have bigger things to worry about then some loner.”

Dimitri sighed. “I suppose you're right for once Sylvain,” Dimitri said, blatantly ignoring Sylvain annoyed, ‘hey!’. “Let us return to camp. If that rogue comes back we will confront him and tell him to stop hunting on our territory. If he doesn’t, we will use force.” He didn’t want to resort of violence, but if he had to in order to keep his pack from going hungry, he would do so. His pack came first, above everything.

Felix rolled his eyes, walking away and snatching up his share of food. “Whatever.” He muttered, his voice slightly muffled due to the prey in his mouth.

Ingrid and Sylvain followed him, snatching up their prey as well, chattering on about other things on their way. Dimitri stayed behind a moment longer. Looking in the direction the loner had gone in curiously. He wanted to follow him, talk to him, anything. Dimitri shook his head, ridding himself of such thoughts, and followed after his friends, the moon illuminating his path, as if the Goddess herself was guiding him back home.

____________________________________________________________________________

“By, you’re back!” Seraph barked happily, sitting up from the bunch of moss she had been laying on to greet him and he walked into the dark cave, the only thing illuminating it was the moon. 

Byleth walked into the cave, shuddering slightly at the cold. He set down the prey in front of his sister, and pressed his pelt into hers, attempting to warm them both up. “Yes, and I have food as well.” He answered back softly, gently for her. 

Seraph smiled. “Thank you!” he said, about to dig in, but then stopped and looked back at her brother. “Wait..didn’t you get some for yourself?”

“I already ate.” Byleth looked away, knowing if he looked at her she would tell he was lying. 

Seraph scowled. “By, I know that you’re lying. You always look away when you lie. Why didn’t you eat?!”

“I couldn’t find another piece of prey. Winter is approaching, which means less prey.”

“I guess that's true…” The she-wolf frowned, looking down at the prey. “You know...I’ve been thinking…”

Byleth looked at her with interest. “You, thinking? I’m surprised.” He lightly teased, gently shoving her.

“Oh shut it.” Seraph snapped, but there was a hint of affection and amusement in her eyes. “As I was saying, I've been thinking. Have you ever thought about us joining one of those packs? You know, those rival packs? You know about them right?”

Byleth hummed in affirmation. Yes, he had heard of them. All he knew though was that The Black Eagles and The Blue Lions had been rivals for as long as time itself, and that The Golden Deer used to be neutral, but they were dragged into the fray as well. That was all he knew though.

“Yes, I have heard of them.” He spoke aloud for her. “But why would we join them? As you said, they are rivals, and you and I aren’t interested in politics like that. It would only cause problems. We’re better on our own.” Byleth said firmly, letting her know that he wasn’t into the idea of joining them. He felt uncomfortable with the idea that both of them could get mixed up in their war and get themselves hurt. 

“But think about it! We could have other people besides ourselves watch our back! We could have other wolves help us if we ever get in a pinch.” Seraph exclaimed. 

“Yes, but it also means giving up our freedom and having to live by their rules.” Byleth snapped. He was exhausted and in no mood to argue, but he was too thrilled with the prospect of joining pack society.

Seraph sighed, giving up. “Look...just think about it, okay? This could change things for us. We wouldn’t have to go hungry anymore all the time. We also wouldn’t have to worry about human packs either, since other wolves could help us and scare them off. A lot of the problems we have now would be gone.”

“I know. But many more problems could start as well.” He answered back simply. 

Seraph rolled her eyes, before leaning down and beginning to eat the prey in front of her. Byleth resisted the urge to take some for himself.

Instead, he laid down and gazed up at the moon, wondering if he actually has a choice but to join. After all, safety was in numbers, and the packs were filled with other wolves who could help them.

Byleth sighed and shook his head, closing his eyes. I’ll just think about this in the morning, he thought to himself.

Byleth drifted off to sleep with the sounds of his sister munching on bone marrow filling his ears.

Little did he know, the next day would change everything for both of them.


	2. chapter two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth has a very chilling dream, and he gets a rather surprising offer from a couple of pack wolves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has some gore in it for the dream sequence, just so you know. Also, shout out to my friend who helped me write the dream sequence!
> 
> Enjoy!

All Byleth could see was a thick fog. Where was he? He knew that he was no longer at the cave, since he could no longer smell his sister’s sweet scent.

All he could see was a thick, heavy fog. It dulled his senses greatly, rendering him unable to see or smell around him. Was he even in the forest anymore? The fog made his fur stand on end, and he didn’t know why. Right now, all he felt was fear and dread, as if his soul was telling him that something was terribly wrong.

Suddenly, he could smell something. But it wasn’t pleasant, not in the slightest. It was the smell of rotting flesh, like a devastating battle had just taken place. It was strong and rancid, and it made Byleth want to cover his nose with his tail.

Byleth let out a soft wail, feeling himself cower. He hated it. This wasn’t like him. He was not one to cower in the face of danger, he was the one who made other wolves cower and tremble in his presence. Byleth felt frustrated at this predicament. What the hell is happening?!

“...go….me..!” A soft and youthful voice cried out with fear.

Byleth’s ears perked up immediately in a feeble attempt to indicate where this mystery person was. However, it was no use. The voice had come from nearly every direction, making it impossible to pinpoint where it came from.

“Where are you?!” Byleth cried out, desperate to find out where he was, and what was going on.

“.....quiet...scum…” A feminine, shrill voice snapped back, and in response the first voice whimpered.

Byleth looked around frantically. He stood to his paws and broke into a sprint. He was unable to see, and therefore ran into several things while running.

As he ran, he heard all sorts of voices cry out and mix together, overwhelming him and making him close his eyes tightly in order to block it out.

“..Eagles...not...knew.”

“You...friend.”

“...killed him?!”

“Help me, please!”

“All...traitors!”

“I love you…”

“Who...this?!”

“Mind...your...business!”

“Let go of me!”

“...no!”

Byleth just wanted to cover his ears. Or even bury his head in the earth. Anything to stop such horrible sounds. Ontop of all the screaming, he heard the sound of snarls and growls of an intense battle. He didn’t recognize any of the voices. As he continued running, his legs beginning to ache and his paws starting to go numb, the smell of death and flesh grew stronger and Byleth could have sworn that he also saw several bodies on the ground, no longer moving. Dead.

The voices grew even louder, overwhelming him, and making Byleth start to whimper and wail desperately. “Leave me alone!” He howled, pathetically sobbing.

Due to being overpowered by the voices, he failed to notice the ravine in front of him until it was too late. Byleth desperately tried to stop himself by forcing his paws to dig into the earth, but at that point he no longer had any control of his legs, and he skidded and tumbled off the cliff, howling as he went down.

As he plummeted down, all of the voices began to go quiet, another one took their place, its volume booming over all the other ones. What it said chilled him.

“Only the Fell Star can save us all.”

As he began to draw nearer and nearer to the bottom of the ravine, he saw sharp rocks at the very end. He closed his eyes, ready for his fate. Byleth thought of Seraph, and how much she would miss him. He thought of his father, and how he was going to see him again. He thought of his mother, who he was never able to meet, and thought about how he was going to finally meet her- 

He hit the rocks, feeling immense and mind-shattering pain he had never experienced in his life completely split his spine and shattered it. He cried out, feeling tears of utter agony finally break through his eyes. As he bled out, he heard another voice speak..

“Byleth!” A familiar voice called out. It filled Byleth’s ears, and suddenly, he no longer felt pain. He only felt numb, as if he was cold.

A familiar sweet scent filled his nostrils. 

‘Seraph!” His mind cried out, desperately hoping she would help him escape this hell. 

“Byleth!” He felt a paw roughly jab his side. “Wake up, you’re having a nightmare! You’re safe!”

_________________________________________

Byleth woke up with a start, jumping to his paws and looking wildly around him, his eyes wide as saucers. 

“Whoa whoa there By!” Seraph looked at her brother with stunned and confused eyes, her ears flattened against her head. “Take it easy there pal, you’re safe!”

Byleth didn’t believe her at first, turning his head to look at his back. Sure enough, his spine wasn’t shattered. There wasn’t even any blood.

“Hey.” Her voice softened. “You’re shaking.”

Byleth blinked, but looked down on himself and sure enough, he was shaking violently. 

Byleth slowly felt himself calm back down. He wasn’t in that dark and foggy forest anymore. He was at home with his beloved sister. He had to repeat that to himself multiple times until his shaking finally started to slowly cease.

Seraph slowly stepped closer to him, as to not startle him, and licked his shoulder gently. “You’re safe. You’re not in danger.” She soothed, running the tip of her tail over his back. “Why were you looking at your back like that?”

“I…” Byleth started to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out. He still felt afraid, he still heard the screams of terror and the tearing of flesh in his mind. “I’m fine.” He finally said.

“Sure you are.” Seraph said bluntly, rolling her eyes. 

Byleth didn’t respond, he simply pressed his body closer to Seraph’s, sitting down again breathing in her familiar scent and closing his eyes. 

As much as he hated being weak, as much as he hated being vulnerable, he needed this. He hadn’t had such a violent nightmare like that since….

Well, since his father died.

Seraph stayed quiet for a few more minutes, deciding to stay quiet until Byleth fully calmed down.

Byleth opened his eyes a few moments later, his trembles finally ceasing, and winced at how bright the sun was on his face. It warmed him up though, making him realize how cold he had been on the stone floor.

Seraph smiled, standing alongside her brother and licking his shoulder again with affection. “You feel better?” Her eyes shone with concern and wariness, as if she expected him to fall apart at even the slightest movement. 

“I...I suppose.” He still felt a bit jumpy. “Thank you...Seraph.” He gave her a lick on the shoulder.

She shrugged. “Eh, your welcome. So, are you gonna tell me about the dream, or nah?”

Byleth froze. He _really _didn’t want to tell her. He didn’t want to relive that hell.__

__He stood up again, and started towards the cave entrance. “I’m going hunting.” He said simply, leaving no room for her to argue._ _

__Seraph stared at his retreating figure and sighed. “He’s shutting me out again. Why doesn’t he ever tell me about his worries?” She asked herself softly. “I worry so much about him…”_ _

__Completely unaware of his sister’s toil, Byleth wandered back outside and breathed in the fresh air. He took in the crispy cold air, and the sound of his paws crushing the leaves around him._ _

__But, as much as he enjoyed the scents and sound of the outside, he didn’t have too much time to dwell on it. He had to hunt. His stomach was still growling and groaning in pain since he hadn’t eaten anything the night before._ _

__He caught the whiff of prey. _Another hare _____

____Byleth immediately shot his head in the direction of the scent, and saw a blur of brown dashing across the clearing. It must’ve caught his scent as well, since it was now frantically running away._ _ _ _

____Byleth was on its trail in an instant, growling and snarling with frustration. He sprinted, barely noticing how the trees suddenly looked like a blur, and how they meshed with the sky._ _ _ _

____He also failed to notice that he had just trespassed in the Blue Lions pack territory. A decision that would change his life forever._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____As the hare thought it was safe, several minutes later after the chase had finally calmed down, and now Byleth was stalking the hare like he had the day before. The hare was now looking around curiously, while Byleth was hidden in the tall grass, his tail swishing behind him, brushing the leaves gently._ _ _ _

____Suddenly, the hare heard something, and it darted off in fear into a burrow._ _ _ _

____Byleth cursed. “Dammit!” He looked around furiously, his eyes glaring to see who or what had allowed his prey to escape._ _ _ _

____He heard something that made him pause._ _ _ _

_____Pawsteps? ____ _ _ _

______The navy wolf frowned. Did Seraph follow him? No, she always knew that both of them hunting alone was better. Besides, it was too dangerous for her to wander off on her own, considering the dangerous predators around._ _ _ _ _ _

______He sniffed the air, trying to decipher who it was. It was a strong and strange scent. He wasn’t familiar with who it was. Byleth bared his teeth at the intruder. He wasn’t amused by this rather one-sided game of hide and seek._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Show yourself!” He snarled._ _ _ _ _ _

______As you wish, the attacker seemed to say, because less than a second after he blurted out the words, the other wolf rammed into Byleth like an explosion. Byleth snarled and attempted to throw the attacker off of him. Unfortunately, the attacker had already started to embed its teeth in Byleth’s coat._ _ _ _ _ _

______Byleth howled with pain, and for a second he stopped struggling, not sure what he should do. But then he remembered his father's words._ _ _ _ _ _

_______”Make yourself go limp if you ever get into a pinch. If you do that, you can trick your enemy into thinking you’ve given up and you can give them a little surprise attack.” ____ _ _ _ _ _

________Byleth went limp, in a last ditch attempt to fool the attacker. It worked, the wolf slowly climbing off of him and letting out a grunt of satisfaction._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Now is my chance! _Byleth screamed his mind. He sprung back up, and launched himself on top of the attacker, making the other wolf cry out with shock.__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________He pinned the other wolf down beneath him, sinking his teeth deep within the other wolf's shoulder. He wasn’t trying to kill the other, just trying to make him give up and limp back to whatever part of the forest he came from._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The attacker wailed, and feebly tried to shove Byleth off him, but to no avail. Byleth, sensing that he could get away now, quickly turned back around and started sprinting back to the cave._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________He heard the other wolf leap to its feet and start to sprint towards him as well, hot on Byleth’s trail._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Byleth felt panic course through him. _Seraph! _If he led this wolf back to the cave, he might hurt Seraph!___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Byleth scowled, and stopped. This was a mess. A huge mess. He turned around, intent on killing this attacker if it meant putting his sister out of harm's way._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________As he turned to face the mystery wolf, he looked at its feature. It was a dark red wolf with honey brown eyes and hints of white on his tail and brown on his front and back paws. He looked a bit bigger then Byleth, and had a rather mischievous glint in his eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Suddenly, the attacker just stopped running._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________He skidded to a stop in front of Byleth and let out a loud, “Whooo! I haven’t had a fight that intense since I fought Felix! You’re pretty good, for a lone wolf!” The wolf exclaimed, cheerfully._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Byleth just blinked rapidly for a moment. What is happening? Shouldn’t they still be fighting. And he couldn’t help but feel a stab of disappointment. He was kind of looking forward to a fight._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Byleth paused. Wait. This could be a trap. He growled, baring his teeth again, and crouching close to the ground to show aggression. “Don’t think you can trick me, pack wolf.” He knew that this was a pack wolf now. He could smell the faint scent of other pack wolves on him as well. “I’ll fight you again if I have to.” He snarled._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“The name is Sylvain.” The wolf, now dubbed Sylvain, went on cheerfully, ignoring Byleth’s threat. “I’m from the Blue Lions. I’m sure you’ve heard of us.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“...I have.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“I thought so. So...what's a loner like you doing all the way out here in Blue Lions territory? You’re lucky that I was the one who found you instead of Felix. He would’ve torn an intruder like you to shreds, no questions asked.” Sylvain said._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Byleth straightened himself out slightly, sitting back on his haunches, but still was guarded. He wouldn’t let this pack wolf attack him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________But at the same time, Byleth couldn’t help but feel a hit of thrill at the thought of fighting another wolf. He had always enjoyed fighting, but due to being a lone wolf, he didn’t get in fights often unless another wolf dared to invade his home._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________When Byleth didn’t respond, Sylvain continued speaking. “You know, it’s rude not to tell someone your name~” He sang._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Byleth couldn’t help but sigh in exasperation. He just wanted some food. “It’s Byleth.” He said._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Sylvain started to lick at his back, trying to groom himself and wash the dirt from his fur. “Neat name. But you know, you really shouldn’t be on our territory. It belongs to us, the Blue Lions.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“I didn’t know this was your territory.” Byleth was in no mood for this. He wanted to get off this territory and get back to hunting. He was starving, and talking to this wolf was wasting daylight and time._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________The red wolf looked as if he was about to respond again, but suddenly he stopped. Sylvain stopped licking himself, and his ears perked up in alarm. “You gotta go.” He hissed, his eyes darting around. “I hear a couple of my packmates coming over here. If they see you, they’ll go berserk.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Byleth frowned. What was he talking about? He didn’t hear anything._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Go! Hurry!” Sylvain hissed quietly, pushing Byleth to run._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________It was too late. Four other wolves appeared from the bushes, trapping Byleth in their gazes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________The first one was a blonde she-wolf with beautiful emerald eyes. She had a rather stern and noble look in her eyes, She had the gaze of someone who lived underneath a strict household. She also had many scratches adorning her body, as if she had been through many battles._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________The second wolf was male, and he was an azure blue wolf with white on his chest, and on the tips of his ear and tail. He had even more scratches then the she-wolf did! He had a rather indifferent yet furious look in his eyes as he gazed at Byleth._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________The third wolf was large, and was a big dark brown wolf with a grey ponytail on the back on his head. He had many scratches on him as well. His gaze was stoic, making it hard for Byleth to read what exactly he was thinking._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________The fourth and final wolf took the breath out of Byleth. He was a big wolf too, but now as big as the brown one, and had two times as many scratches on him as well. He was a dirty blonde wolf with striking blue eyes that trained on Byleth with rather stern eyes like the she-wolf, but also held curiosity and admiration. Byleth couldn’t help but think about how...weirdly attractive he was. Which was odd, considering Byleth has never been attracted to anywolf before._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Then again, he hasn’t talked to many other wolves outside of his family either._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Sylvain let out a quiet curse under his breath before speaking clearly and walking over to the three wolves rather nervously. “Heyyy guysss…” He said slyly. “Fancy seeing you here-”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Cut the act you harebrained idiot.” The azure wolf snapped. “Why the hell were you just talking to a loner?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Sylvain stopped walking and gapped at them. “You mean...you heard us talking?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Of course we did. Your annoying voice could be heard all across the damn forest. I’m certain even the Black Eagles heard you.” The azure wolf snarled, his tail lashing about angrily._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Yeah, like your snoring could be heard across the forest, Felix.” Sylvain snickered._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“You little-”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“That’s enough you two, we aren’t pups anymore so stop acting like it.” The she-wolf snapped, shooting them a warning deathly stare._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________‘Felix’ and Sylvain both recoiled with fear when they sensed her wrath. Byleth sensed she was not one to mess with._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________The blond male wolf still had his gaze on Byleth. “Who is this, Sylvain?” He asked, his cool and curious gaze on Byleth._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Byleth couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed that they were talking like he wasn’t there. He opened his mouth to snap at all of them, but a warning look from the large brown wolf stopped him. He was outnumbered. There was no use to try and fight against them._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“His name is Byleth, I think. He was hunting on our territory, and I was just about to chase him off.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“No you weren’t.” The she-wolf rolled her eyes. “You were going to let him go, considering how lazy you can be.” She turned her gaze to the large wolf, ignoring the offended, ‘hey!’ that came from Sylvain. “Do you want me to chase him off, Dimitri?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“There is no need, Ingrid.” ‘Dimitri’ said. Byleth was beginning to get uncomfortable with his and the other wolf's gaze on him. He considered just running away, but remembered if he did it would risk Seraph’s safety.  
Byleth scowled with annoyance. This was not his day. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________There was another moment of silence before Dimitri asked Byleth a question that shook him to the core._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Would you like to join the Blue Lions pack?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Byleth gaped at Dimitri with utter astonishment. They’ve only known each other for less than a few minutes and he was already offering to join his pack? What was going on? Byleth didn’t understand any of this. Enraged growls erupted from Felix and Ingrid. Sylvain just watched all of this with shock._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“What are you talking about Dimitri!? We already have too many mouths to feed as it is! We don’t afford to have another one!” Ingrid exclaimed, looking at her leader with wide eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Yes, and this wolf doesn’t even understand what it's like to be in a pack. He doesn’t know our ways. He’s clearly been a loner all his life.” Felix sneered, glaring and Byleth. Byleth glared back. He’s had enough of this wolf's attitude._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“If I have the right to speak m’lord, I agree with both points that Felix and Ingrid have made. Winter is approaching, we can’t afford to have another mouth to feed when food is already going scarcer and scarcer.” The large brown wolf said, softly and respectfully._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“I am well aware Dedue, and that is exactly why we need him to join. His skills are invaluable. I saw the way he fought Sylvain, and I also saw the way he hunted that hare. With him at our side, we will make it this winter.” Dimitri spoke these words calmly and with hesitation. He was clearly putting a lot of faith in Byleth._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________He looked back at Byleth. “So, will you join?” He was ignoring the angry growls coming from Felix._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Byleth thought for a moment, his sister’s words coming back to him. As she said, food was becoming hard and harder to find, and if he and Seraph moved onto pack territory, they would have a wider area to find prey. Plus, with extra help from other wolves, he would be able to get help if he or Seraph got hurt or wounded. It would be nice to have other wolves at his back, helping him when he needed it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________But at the same time, by joining a pack, he would have to conform to their rules and traditions. He would have to give up a piece of his freedom and follow their way of life, at the same time giving up his._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________But...Seraph wanted to join a pack. Byleth would do whatever he could to make her happy._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________But…_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Byleth scowled. He was too hungry for all of this._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Can...can I give you my answer tomorrow?” He asked finally, looking Dimitri in the eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Dimitri looked disappointed for a moment, but the disappointment left as soon as it came. He nodded. “Of course. However, I will only give you until noon tomorrow to make your decision. If by noon tomorrow you say nothing, I will assume that you have declined. You will no longer be welcomed in the pack.” He said firmly, gazing at Byleth with no room for arguing in his eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Byleth nodded back, holding Dimitri’s gaze._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Dimitri looked back at his packmates. “Let’s go. We need to go back to camp and tell everyone we may have a new arrival tomorrow.” There was a glint of excitement in Dimitri’s eyes as he said this._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Going on ahead, Dimitri gave Byleth one last look of interest and hopefulness before walking away. Dedue followed right after him, following behind silently. Ingrid and Sylvain followed as well. Felix gave Byleth a look of furiousness and suspicion before prowling away, lashing his tail angrily all the while._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________As he watched the all four wolves walk away, Byleth couldn’t help but let out a sigh of agitation and exasperation._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________What did he just get himself into?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri being gay: the chapter
> 
> I hope ya’ll enjoyed this chapter! I spent a lot of time on this! I’ll try to update again in the next couple days.


	3. chapter three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth makes his decision.

As he arrived back at the cave, Byleth couldn’t help but feel relief when he saw his sister with a hare besides her. She must have gone hunting on her own once he left.

She perked up when she saw him, standing up and padding over to him. “Hey! You feel better now?” Seraph lightly licked his ear to show affection. “I got you some food. I know you’re probably hungry, since you didn’t eat and I didn’t see any prey with you.” She paused, and started to sniff at his pelt. Byleth simply stared, waiting for her to explain herself as to why she suddenly started to smell him. 

“Hey...why do you smell like one of those pack wolves? Did you..” She started to smile slyly. “Hey, were you talking to pack wolves?”

Byleth grunted. “Not by choice. One Of them attacked me. His name was Sylvain I think.”

“Ooooo! Didja win?”

“I...I don’t really know. He just suddenly stopped fighting me, and began to talk to me. Afterwards, some of his packmates came out of the bushes. I think they overheard our conversation. And then…” Byleth trailed off. 

Seraph looked on eagerly. “And…?” 

“They asked me to join their pack. I think they’re called the Blue Lions.” As he spoke, he started to walk towards the hare in the middle of the cave that Seraph had left.

From behind him, he heard a squeal of delight come from Seraph. Byleth sighed, already knowing what was coming. He sat down, and started munching on the hare, moaning softly at the amazing taste.

“By, that’s amazing! What did you tell him?”

“I...I told their pack leader that I would think about it. He gave me until tomorrow at noon to make my decision.” Byleth mumbled through the bone marrow. 

“We are gonna join them right? I know you said no already, but do you realize how much this could help us? We wouldn’t have to go starving so much anymore if someone was there to help us!” Seraph exclaimed, walking towards him.

Byleth sighed. “Look, I don’t know. I’ll admit, I agree that joining them sounds like a good idea. But...it would also mean having to give up our freedom in favor of their traditions.” He reminded her. 

Seraph growled at him. “Look, if you’re not gonna join, I’ll go by myself.”

He blinked. “You can’t. They don’t know that you’re my sister. They’ll just think you’re someone trying to infiltrate them.”

“I’ll tell them that I’m your sister!” She retorted.

“They’ll just think you’re lying.”

“Ugh! I’ll figure out something okay!? But I’m not just gonna sit here and starve. If the Blue Lions don’t let me in, I’ll just join the Black Eagles or the Golden Deer or something.” 

Byleth rolled his eyes. “I don’t think they’ll just let in a stranger. Pack wolves are very picky on who joins them. I doubt they would let a pup like you join by yourself.”

Seraph grumbled and curled up next to him. “I’m not that small…” 

“Compared to me you are.”

“Enough of this! Are we gonna join or not?!” She snapped, baring her teeth at him.

Byleth paused again, pausing mid-bite on the tough skin of the rabbit. As much as he would rather stay a loner, he knew he couldn’t just think about himself. He had to think about Seraph too. After all, she would have a much better chance of survival if they stuck with a larger group.

Finally, after many minutes of silence, he relented. “We’ll join. But, if at any point anything goes wrong, we’re leaving. No questions asked.” Byleth stated, firmly. It was the tone he used when there was virtually no way to change his mind.

Seraph let out a loud howl of excitement, leaping to her paws and pouncing around the cave with excitement. “Whoo-Hoo! Yes! Thank you so much big bro! I promise this is the best decision you ever made!” She started furiously licking his pelt, showing her gratitude.

Byleth felt a soft smile spread across his face. He loved making her happy. 

“Alright, settle down. We’ll leave and tell them in the morning. If you keep howling like that, you’ll scare off all the prey in the forest.” He joked, lightly.

Seraph stuck her tongue out at him in response. 

_____________________________________

The next day, Byleth was woken up by Seraph’s rather annoying shouts of excitement.

“This is so cool! I’ve never joined a pack before! But I’m also kinda nervous too, y’know, because we’ve never been a part of a pack before. I wonder what they’re like. Are they strict? Are they laid-back? Do they like hares like you and I do? I’m so excited-“

“I know Seraph.” Byleth grumbled, getting you on his paws, and stretching them out. One thing he wouldn’t miss about being a loner was living in a cave. It made his back hurt, and the cold stone floor was freezing. If it wasn’t for Seraph warning him up, Byleth was sure he would’ve froze by now. “You’ve been saying all day and all night yesterday.” And all morning today as well it seems, he added to himself.

Seraph barely seemed to acknowledge his words. “Yeah yeah, now let’s go! I really wanna meet these wolves. This is gonna be great!”

Byleth got to his feet and looked at her, his eyes still squinted from sleep. “...can we at least hunt first?”

“Nope! We can do that later.” Seraph already walked out, most likely following the scent trail he had left behind yesterday. Byleth quickly followed after her, knowing that they wouldn’t let her in unless they saw him.

On the way to the edge of Blue Lions territory, Byleth caught a whiff of an unfamiliar scent. It smelled like a pack wolf. But, it smelled several hours old. The wolf must have been here a couple hours ago hunting, he guessed to himself. 

As they arrived at the territory, Byleth smelled a familiar scent. It was Sylvain and Ingrid. Seraph’s eyes immediately brightened upon seeing them, elated to see other wolves.

“Hey, so you did decide to join!” Sylvain greeted, walking out from the bushes. He looked at Seraph curiously. “Who’s this?”

“My sister. I’m not going to join without her, so don’t even think about sending her back.” Byleth deadpanned.

“Hey hey, I’m not gonna send her away, promise!” Sylvain reassured. He sniffed Seraph gently. “She’s pretty young though. Are you sure you wanna bring a pup with you?”

“I’m sure.”

“Alright then, let’s head back.” Ingrid smiled gently down at Seraph. “And what's your name, little one?”

“My name is Seraph! And yours?” Seraph exclaimed, proudly.

“I’m Ingrid, and this furball right here is named Sylvain. He seems pretty bad now, but once you get to know him he’s rather tolerable, I promise.” Ingrid said, ignoring Sylvains annoyed ‘hey!’ In the background.

Byleth simply looked ahead. “Can we get on with it please?”

“Someone’s in a hurry.” Sylvain teased. “Dimitri’s gonna be real happy to see that you came through after all. He’s kinda into you, I think.” 

Byleth blinked slowly. “Into me?” What did that even mean?

Ingrid growled at Sylvain and racked him across the ear with her paw. “Don’t tell him that.” She snapped. 

“Can we go now? I wanna meet the other pack wolves!” Seraph exclaimed, practically vibrating with excitement. She didn’t seem to care about the conversation.

“Yes. Let us depart before Sylvain blurts anything else out.” Ingrid turned around and started to lead the other three to the camp.

Byleth couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by the unfamiliar smells. He had never been this deep into the forest before, and it was making him slightly nervous. And dizzy.

Seraph was chatting happily with Sylvain, while Ingrid would occasionally pitch in and say something as well. 

Seraph has always been the one who was better with change then Byleth. Byleth hated change. He preferred things to stay the same. Alas, He knew things couldn’t be the same forever.

Suddenly, Ingrid said, “We are nearing camp now. I hope you are ready to meet everyone! We have all been preparing for your arrival.”

As she said that, all four of them crossed a bunch of bushes, and ducked underneath a hammock of weeds and vines. They pushed by some boulders and passed by a small ravine. At the bottom of the ravine, Byleth saw wolves. Many wolves. This must be the Blue Lions.

“We’re here! Everyone is super stoked to meet you both.” Sylvain flicks his tail in the direction of the many wolves littering the ground beneath them.

As they reached the bottom of the slope, Byleth saw Dimitri conversing with a gray wolf who looked a bit small and had beautiful emerald eyes. As their conversation finished up, Dimitri saw Byleth, and got a rather pleased look in his eyes. 

“So you have agreed to join us! I’m very pleased. We have a den prepared for you-“ Dimitri paused when he saw Seraph. “Who is this?” He asked, curiously. 

“This is my sister. She’ll be joining as well.” Byleth stated, daring Dimitri to say otherwise.

“I see. She is welcome here as well. However, we may have to get her a separate den.”

“There is no need. We can share.” 

Dimitri nodded. “That’s fine as well.” He looked over at Ingrid and Sylvain. “Can you both show Seraph around the camp? I will show Byleth around myself.”

Byleth bristled. He wasn’t completely okay with strangers taking his sister. Dimitri must have sensed his apprehension, because he laid his tail comfortingly on Byleth’s shoulders. “Relax. I promise, no harm will come to your sister. You can trust Sylvain and Ingrid.”

After a couple more moments, Byleth relented, sighing. “Fine.” He looked over at Seraph. “Are you okay with this.” 

“Yeah, I am! We can’t always be around each other you know. I’ll be fine.” Seraph gently assured him.

Byleth nodded before looking over at two bigger wolves. “Take care of her.” He told them.

“No worries. She’ll be safe with us. I wouldn’t let a pup get hurt.” Sylvain said. Ingrid nodded in agreement.

They walked away, and Byleth turned back to Dimitri. “So, where do we go first?” Byleth couldn’t help but sigh afterwards, knowing it was going to be a long day ahead.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth meets some of the wolves at the camp, and afterwards something shocking happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a bit short I’m sorry! (Cries)  
> But, I promise the next chapter will be longer. Chapter five will be when things start to get more intense. Everything between chapters 1-4 has just been exposition.

“We shall start with meeting Ashe and Annette.” Dimitri answered Byleth’s question. “Both of them are very welcoming individuals. I feel like you will have a good introduction to the pack if you meet them first.”

Byleth nodded and followed Dimitri as he started to walk off, towards the entrance of one of the many dens.

As they both entered, Byleth’s azure orbs trained on two wolves, one that has a grey pelt, emerald eyes. It was the wolf Dimitri had been talking to before he and Seraph entered the camp. The other one was a she-wolf, with bright orange fur and baby blue eyes.

The gray wolf perked up as soon as he saw Dimitri. “Ah! Dimitri! Is this the loner you were talking about?” He gazed at Byleth curiously. 

Dimitri dipped his head. “Greetings, Ashe. And yes, this is him. His name is Byleth. He also has a little sister named Seraph that will be joining as well.”

Byleth dipped his head in greeting as well. He couldn’t help but feel relieved that Dimitri had introduced himself for him. Byleth had never been a fan of talking too much.

The she-wolf's eyes sparkled as well. “Hello~” She sang, sweetly. “Welcome to the Blue Lions! I’m Annette, and this is Ashe. I hope you enjoy your stay!” 

Both of them were so sweet and innocent that it made Byleth’s heartache. They vaguely reminded him of Seraph. 

Byleth quickly got a whiff of their scent in order to recognize them, and couldn’t help but notice how Ashe’s scent smells vaguely familiar to the scent he smelled earlier today. 

Byleth tilted his head at Ashe. “Were you out at the border of the territory earlier?”

Dimitri blinked with shock and looked over at Ashe. “What were you doing so close to the edge of the territory?”

Ashe suddenly looked uncomfortable. He shifted his paws, and looked down at them as if they were the most interesting things in the world. “Um...I just thought I smelled an intruder earlier, so I went over there to check.”

That sounded oddly suspicious to Byleth, but Dimitri didn’t seem too bothered. “Ah, I see.” He moved on from the topic. “Byleth, Ashe and Irene are our scouts.” He introduced.

Byleth looked at Dimitri and tilted his head. “Scouts?”

The pack leader nodded. “Yes. The two of them are the ones who make sure that neither do the other packs attempt to invade our territory. They go out there and sniff around to make sure that no one has crossed the border. Everyone in the pack has their own role to make sure everyone stays safe.”

Byleth’s interest strengthened. He couldn’t help but appreciate how organized the pack was. “What other roles are there?” Byleth asked.

“Well, there are Guards, Hunters, and Healers!” Ashe answered. “For example, Dedue is a Guard, along with Ingrid, Sylvain and Felix. Mercedes is our Healer, so whenever we get sick or hurt, she heals us!”

Annette nodded. “And Beau is our Seer!”

Byleth perked his ears. “Seer? What's that, exactly?”

“A Seer is someone who receives visions from the Goddess. Every now and then the Goddess will send visions to Seers to warn them of certain events in the future. It’s a very rare power that only a few wolves have that power.” Dimitri explained.

Byleth’s confusion only grew more. “Who is the Goddess?”

All three of them gaped at Byleth. He couldn’t help but grow timid under all of the attention. What did he say wrong?

“You mean...you’ve never heard of the Goddess?” Ashe looked absolutely stricken with shock.

Byleth shuffled nervously. “I cannot say I have.”

Dimitri comfortingly placed his tail on Byleth’s shoulder. “Don’t be ashamed. You used to be a loner, so you are not familiar with our ways.”

“The Goddess is a divine being who watches over all of us. She is benevolent and kind.” Dimitri continued. “All of us worship her and believe in her.” He paused. “Well, not all of us. Felix doesn’t believe in her, and Dedue and Beau have their own beliefs.”

Byleth remained in his own thoughts for a moment. A divine being who watched over and protected everyone. The thought was both comforting and terrifying to Byleth. 

Finally, he spoke again. “I see. What do Dedue and Beau believe in?”

“Hmm. Well Dedue believes in several Gods and Goddesses rather than just one, and Beau worships his ancestors, the people that came before him.” The pack leader answered. 

The ex-loner sighed. There was already so much for him to remember and he hasn’t even been here for a day.

Annette noticed his distress and walked over to gently lick his shoulder. “Don’t worry! It’s just your first day, so don’t feel too overwhelmed. Just take it slow.”

Dimitri nodded. “Agreed. But, we must go around camp more and introduce you to everyone else.”

Ashe and Annette both nodded. “You course! See you both later!”

As both of them left, Dimitri turned to Byleth. “How did you like them?”

“They’re both sweet. And they seem to be reliable as well.” Byleth answered honestly.

Dimitri let out a soft pleased sound and smiled and Byleth. “I’m happy to hear that. Now, let's go visit Beau. He is most likely near the lake at this time of day.”

Byleth hadn’t seen a pool when he walked in the camp, but as they neared the area Dimitri referred to, it dawned on him why he had missed it. It was hidden behind a barrage of vines near the back of the camp. It was quiet as well.

As they entered, Byleth caught a whiff of another wolf's scent. He laid his eyes upon a brown wolf, with splotches of white on his fur. He looked a bit tiny, around Ashe or Annette's size. He looked very timid as well. He was laying on his side, licking water from his fur from the lake. This must be Beau. Byleth thought.

“Beau!” Dimitri greeted him happily. “I see you are down here once again. I’m not surprised though. You seem to deeply enjoy swimming.”

Beau squeaked and sprung up to his paws rather fast, as there was an enemy invading. “Gah! How are you-Oh! Pack leader Dimitri?” He seemed to calm down a bit when he realized it was Dimitri. “Sorry...I thought you were an enemy of sorts.” Then he saw Byleth, and freaked out again. “Gah! W-who is this? Is he an intruder?”

“Intruder! Hahaha!” Dimitri laughed merrily. Byleth felt a jolt go through his heart as he heard the rather lovely sound. “Of course not. You should know I would never allow an intruder in here.”

“O-of course. I’m sorry.” Beau shyly faced Byleth. “Um. Hello. I’m Beau.” He didn’t even meet Byleth’s gaze.

“I’m Byleth.” The ex-loner responded. “It’s nice to meet you.” 

There was an awkward silence for a while, since Beau kept timidly shifting his paws and looking towards the water rather than responding. It seemed that he wasn’t very good at conversation.

Dimitri cleared his throat. “Ahem. Byleth, Beau is our Seer, as I told you earlier. He receives visions from the Goddess and tells me whatever he may see.”

Byleth blinked. “But, didn’t you say that he has a different belief?”

“I do.” Beau finally spoke up again, quietly. “I believe that I get visions from my ancestors, while Dimitri believes it’s from the Goddess.”

Byleth still didn’t fully understand, but he nodded regardless. 

Dimitri looked like he was about to continue, but then all three wolves heard the sound of a pained and terrified shriek coming from outside.

Beau looked spooked and Dimitri bared his teeth. “It sounds like someone is hurt! Both of you, follow me!”

Dimitri sprinted out of the cavern, with Beau and Byleth following after him.

As they arrived back at the front of the camp, Byleth caught whiff of fear-scent. And on top of that, a whole bunch of wolves were bunched up in the middle of the camp, forming a circle around something or someone.

Dimitri barked to catch their attention, marching up to the mass of wolves. “What’s wrong? Why does everyone sound panicked?”

Ashe stepped away wordlessly, his eyes practically bulging out of his head and terror in his eyes. “D-Dimitri.” He whimpered. “I-it’s…” he trailed off, unable to continue.

“It’s who?!” Dimitri growled, impatiently. “What’s the matter? Speak!”

Instead of responding, all of the wolves simply stepped away from the figure, and Dimitri’s eyes widened with terror as well. “N-no..w-who did this?” 

Byleth simply stared at the motionless body with shock. He didn’t know who it was, but the amount of fear and anger he felt radiating from Dimitri made him feel uneasy as well. 

The wolf laying on the ground was azure, very similar to Felix’s color. The wolf had blood all over him, with scratches and bites littering his body. Byleth froze. Was...was this Felix’s father he was looking at? He looked around for Felix, but the short tempered azure wolf was nowhere to be seen. 

Dimitri let out a loud wail and buried his nose in the wolf’s fur.

“Rodrigue!” Dimitri cried out in anguish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I’ll try to update on Sunday every two weeks or so! Be sure to leave a comment or kudos!


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet some of the Black Eagles!

“Who did this?!” Dimitri roared, his head snapping up and glaring daggers at whoever was near him. “Find out, now! I want their blood spilt on the undergrowth!”

Several wolves that had been gathered around Rodrigue’s body scattered almost immediately after the words were uttered. Some sprinted out of the camp, while others stayed by his body, attempting to stop the blood from spreading. Beau was one of them, and so was a platinum she-wolf. 

“Mercedes, Beau, can you two save him?” Dimitri asked, his face desperate.

After a moment's silence, only filled with the sound of Rodrigue’s soft groans of pain, Mercedes nodded. “Yes. They are not too severe. But, he will be unconscious for a while.” 

Byleth felt his tense shoulders loosen at those words. Thank the goddess, he thought to himself. He didn’t know Rodrigue at all, but that didn’t mean he was okay with him dying. Byleth had seen enough death in his life.

Dimitri sighed with relief, and gave a comforting lick to Rodrigue’s shoulder, rewarding him with a soft groan. “Thank the Goddess. I don’t know what I would do if I lost him. Not after I lost-“

“It’s alright, Dimitri.” Mercedes soothed, gently running her tail over his back in an attempt to console him. He barely seemed to acknowledge it.

Beau looked over at Byleth. “Can you help me carry Rodrigue over to the Healing Den? I have some things in there that can stop the bleeding.” His voice sounded nothing like it has before. Before, it had been timid and withdrawn, but now it sounded authoritative and confident. He seemed very determined to save Rodrigue.

Byleth nodded firmly, before gently biting Rodrigue on the back of his neck to drag him over to the den, with Beau following him, leaving the distraught Dimitri and consoling Mercedes behind.

_______________________________________

Seraph’s POV

Seraph bounced alongside Sylvain and Ingrid, half-listening, half-ignoring their bickering. The three of them had left the camp a while ago, right after Byleth and Dimitri started exploring together. Right now, they were in the middle of the forest, sunlight peeking through the leaves of the trees, with birds chirping overhead.

Sylvain turned his gaze over to Seraph and tilted his head at her. “So, have you or your brother been in a pack before, or have you guys always been loners?”

“Well, as far as I can remember, we’ve always been loners. We had a father, but he passed away.” Seraphs answered.

Ingrid eats flattened against her head with sadness. “I...I’m sorry for your loss.”

Sylvain looked slightly uncomfortable. “Ah, yeah sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up a topic like that.”

Seraph shrugged. She already mourned for Jeralt. It wasn’t like she didn’t care for him, she just moved on. “It’s fine. I’ve moved on. I can’t say the same for By though. He still broods over it sometimes.”

Ingrid hummed, stepping over some roots. “Mourning for the death of a loved one can be difficult, I’ll say. We’ve dealt with loss before.” Sylvain nodded in agreement.

Seraph tilted her head. “Who was it?” She couldn’t help but ask.

Ingrid sighed, sadness in her eyes. “His name was Glenn. He was Felix’s brother.”

“How...how did Glenn die?” Seraph was a bit afraid to know, but curiously got the best of her. 

“He was murdered by those damned Black Eagles.” Ingrid growled. “One day, he left camp to go hunting after getting in a fight with Rodrigue, his father. Hours later, and he still hadn’t returned. So, we went looking for him. We...We found his body bloodied and mangled.” Ingrid sounded as she was struggling to keep herself composed. “He was near the border, right next to the Black Eagles territory. On top of that, there was an eerily familiar scent that we picked up. It smelled like Hubert, the Black Eagles second-in-command.”

Seraph’s eyes widened into saucers. “You mean...he killed Glenn? Are you sure it wasn’t a tiger or a bear?”

Sylvain nodded solemnly, his normally cheerful demeanor was gone. “Yes. We didn’t scent a bear or wolf, or anything of the sort on Glenn’s body, but we did scent Hubert. I’d recognize his rancid smell anywhere.” He growled at the mention of Hubert.

Seraph couldn’t help but shudder at how the mood had suddenly become dark at the mention of the Black Eagles. Was this why tensions between the packs were so high? Because of Glenn’s death? She opened her mouth to respond, but jumped when she heard an unfamiliar, cold voice.

“Oh? Well well, look who it is, Dimitri’s little pawns. And a little pup with them as well. Have the Blue Lions become so desperate that they would stoop so low as to recruit little puppies into their ranks?” A new voice sneered.

Seraph squeaked and hid behind Ingrid defensively. Sylvain and Ingrid growled in unison and lashed their tails in aggression.

A black wolf, with some fur covering his eyes, and deep scars littering his body slowly strode out of the bushes, a dark and foreboding aura around him. Two other wolves tailed him, one with blue fur and eyes, and hints of blue on his rather bushy tail, and another that was a she-wolf with a brown and silky pelt that looked soft to the touch. She had emerald eyes, resembling Ashe’s.

The blue wolf growled. “What are you kitties doing so close to Black Eagles territory? You aren’t supposed to be here!”

Sylvain snorted in mild amusement. “Heh, that’s the smartest thing I’ve heard you say, Caspar.”

“Look, we aren’t in your territory, so back off!” Seraph shouted, her tail lashing in agitation. She was new to pack life, but that wouldn’t stop her from protecting her new pack mates! “Or I’ll make you!”

Hubert scoffed, not very intimidated at the sight of a pup barking at him.

Caspar stopped when he saw the pup. “Hey, back off, will ya kid? I don’t want you to get hurt.” His voice became slightly softer, obviously not wanting to hurt a child.

The she-wolf stepped in front of all of them. “Stop! Let’s not fight, okay?” Her emerald eyes pleaded with them.

Sylvain wiggles his eyebrows. “Hey Dorothea~” he purred. “You look nice today-ow!” Ingrid hit him over the head with her paw.

Dorothea ignored their antics. “Look, the three of us just came out to hunt. We aren’t here to badger you on who’s on who’s side of the land. Let’s just go, okay?”

Caspar growled and kneaded his paws on the ground aggressively. His teeth were bared, ready for a fight. “Fine.” He seethed, looking at Hubert. “What about you boss? Should we go?”

Hubert sniffed as he rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t looking for a fight in the first place. I just couldn’t help but notice how they were feeding such hypocrisy to such a young pup about how the Black Eagles killed their _precious Glenn_.” He sneered.

“‘Propaganda!?” Ingrid snapped incredulously. “We only told her the truth! You churls killed our best friend in cold blood when he was defenseless and alone! You would know, since you were the bastard who killed her to begin with.” She growled.

“Yeah! And what do you mean ‘hypocrisy’? We haven’t laid a paw on any of your pack mates in moons!” Sylvain looked both confused and outraged.

Hubert merely gazed at them coldly. “I have nothing else to say to you.” There was an unfamiliar emotion in his eyes. But it was something akin to hatred and anger. But what was he angry about? “The next time we meet, it shall be at the Gathering.”

He turned around and headed back into the bushes form once he came. “Come along now, you two.” 

Dorothea walked after him, but not before sending a soft smile and a gentle “thank you” for letting them go. Caspar stayed behind a moment to ask a rather peculiar question.

“So...how is your camp?” He asked awkwardly and oddly timidly.

Ingrid gazed at him coldly. “That’s none of your business. Why would you even want to know?”

Caspar looked as if he wanted to ask something else. It didn’t look like he was actually curious about the camp itself, but rather something in the camp itself. 

A wolf? Seraph inquired to herself.

“Well yeah but...nevermind.” Caspar said quickly. Before anything else could be said, he ran off after his two pack mates.

Seraph tilted her head to the side, confused. “What’s the gathering? And why was Caspar asking about the camp?”

The two of them seemed to ignore her words, as Sylvain looked back at Ingrid and Seraph, his eyebrow quirked up in question. “The hell was that about?”

“I don’t know.” The she-wolf sighed. “But now is not the time to discuss that. We have to go back to camp and alert Dimitri to the fact that there may be Black Eagles wandering around near our territory.”

Sylvain nodded. “Right. Let’s get back then.”

Seraph pouted at being ignored, but complied as Ingrid gently nudged her along nonetheless. 

_______________________________________

Byleth’s POV

Rodrigue was now in the Healing Den, sleeping soundly with Mercedes and Beau looking after him. Byleth was outside, with Dimitri, comforting him.

“I...I can’t lose him Byleth. He...he is the only wolf that I have left that resembles a father to me. If I lost him...I feel like I may break.” Dimitri whimpered, relaxing slightly as Byleth curled his body around him, which was a bit awkward, since Dimitri was bigger than Byleth, but he chose to ignore it.

Byleth soothingly licked Dimitri’s ear. “Mercedes and Beau are both exceptional healers, I’m sure. Rodrigue will be fine. I know what it’s like to deal with the loss of a loved one.” Byleth couldn’t help but feel choked up at the thought of Jeralt, but quickly pushed the feeling down. “Whoever did this will pay, I promise.”

Dimitri growled. “They will pay. I will make sure of it.”

Before Byleth could say anything else, Dedue, Annette, and Ashe all bursted into camp, looking exhausted. 

“We just came back from looking for the assaulter of Rodrigue, Dimitri.” Dedue panted as they neared Dimitri and Byleth, though he didn’t look as exhausted as the other two. “But we came across nothing. We will have to ask Rodrigue when he wakes up.”

“ _If_ he wakes up, you mean.” Annette murmured to herself. Ashe lightly swiped her over the ear to shut her up, his eyes darting nervously over to their leader in fear that he heard.

He didn’t. “Dammit.” Dimitri growled. “I’m willing to bet that he was attacked by the Black Eagles. I will confront those bastards at the next Gathering. They will pay.”

Byleth blinked. “Gathering? What’s that?”

“It’s where all three major packs get together peacefully and we discuss certain topics, or just hang out. It happens once every month.” Ashe answered, cheerfully.

Byleth nodded. “I see. When is the next one?”

“It’s in a week. Now, what’s it I've been hearing about my father?” Felix’s voice rang out from behind them.

He bounded up to them, with a neutral, yet slightly worried face. 

“He;s been injured! Where have you been!?” Annette barked, pressing her snout to Felix’s rather angrily.

“I was out hunting. Now, is my father alright?” Felix pushed, worry in his eyes.

“He will be. He’s sleeping in the Healing Den with Beau and Mercedes watching after him. Worry not, he will be alright.” Byleth said.

Felix’s shoulder’s sagged as he relaxed. He sighed, softly in relief. “May I go see him?”

Byleth nodded. “You may.”

Felix didn’t waste another moment after that to head inside.

Dedue shifted his gaze back to Dimitri. “What do you want us to do now, sir?”

“Go hunt for the pack. It’s beginning to get late, and we can waste no time on getting food.” Dimitri said, still looking unsettled and vengeful for Rodrigue.

“Understood, Dimitir! We won't let you down!” Ashe chirped, and Annette made a agreeing sound with Dedue following suit. The three of them walked off.

Soon after, Seraph walked into camp, with Ingrid and Sylvain following suit. Byleth gasped and jumped up immediately, slightly knocking over Dimitri in the process. Ignoring the sudden cold he felt at no longer feeling Dimitri’s warm body, he ran over to his sister and gently licked her head in greeting. “Seraph,” He greeted happily.

“By!” Seraph replied back warmly. 

“What’s up with everyone? We just saw Dedue, Ashe and Annette walk out of the camp looking distraught! Did something happen?” Sylvain looked alarmed.

“Yes. Rodrigue was...attacked.” Dimtiri responded solemnly, his gaze looked hazed over as he walked over to them.

Ingrid and Sylvain looked horrified. “I-by who?!”

“We don't know yet. But Dimitri thinks it could be the Black Eagles.” Byleth responded. “Right now, he is sleeping in the Healing Den. Mercedes and Beau are looking after him.

Sylvain growled. “They already took Glenn, do they feel the need to take Rodrigue as well?”

“I suppose that they are just that bloodthirsty.” Ingrud responded darkly.

Byleth wasn't sure who Glenn was, but judging by the warning look in Seraph’s eyes, he shouldn't ask right now.

“At the border, we encountered Hubert, Caspar, and Dorothea. They didn’t fight us, but Hubert hinted that we were ’hypocrites’ for accusing them of killing Glenn in cold blood. They left our territory soon after.” Ingrid reported.

Dimitri growled in a dangerously low tone. “How dare he! Accusing us of killing his packmates when they have committed the same atrocities upon our own wolves! I will confront them at the Gathering. They will pay for this.”

Ingrid and Sylvain shared a worried look, while Byleth and Seraph merely stared with shock at his rather morbid tone.

After a moments silence

“May we go and see him?” Sylvain asked, softly.

“Yes. But be quiet about it, Felix is in there well and we don’t want to accidentally wake Rodrigue up from his sleep. He needs rest.” Bylth responded for Dimitri, considering the fragile state of mind he was currently in.

Ingrid and Sylvain walked off soon afterwards, saying a quick goodbye to them, but not before Sylvain gave Seraph a quick lick on the shoulder in affection.

Byleth looked at Dimitri and licked his shoulder. “You should get some rest as well.” Besides, Byleth wanted to talk to Seraph alone Today was a wild day, and he need to vent to someone.

“I’m not tired.” Dimitri bluntly said.

“Yes, you are. You’ve been through alot today. You need to sleep.”

Dimitri looked as if he wanted to retort, but one warning look from Byleth shut him up. “Fine. I will comply.” He muttered, annoyed.

Byleth couldn’t help but feel unsettled and put off by Dimitri’s wild and dark demeanor. Before, he seemed so sweet and chivalrous, but now he seemed the complete opposite. Was this perhaps a hidden darkness underneath the pack leader?

Dimitri walked off, leaving now only Byleth and Seraph. 

The two siblings looked at each other, exhausted, already knowing that the two of them had much to talk about.

**Author's Note:**

> Seraph: hey we should join a pack so we don’t starve this winter  
> Byleth: (message read at 5pm)
> 
> I hope ya’ll liked it! It might take me a while to update again since I have online school, but I’ll try my best!


End file.
